


Lonesome Redemption

by spaceysp



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, Angst, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27567472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceysp/pseuds/spaceysp
Summary: After his dream of being a famous Youtuber failed years ago, Skeppy celebrates his 20th birthday depressed and alone in his college dorm room. When something appears claiming to be his guardian angel, what can he do except assume he's high as fuck?
Relationships: George | Spifey/Harvey | TapL, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Zak Ahmed & Darryl Noveschosch, Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 79
Kudos: 186





	1. Happy Birthday!

**Author's Note:**

> CWs: references to alcohol abuse, drug use, and depression  
> (comment if there's anymore i should warn about!)

Skeppy’s bleary vision finally starts to have meaning as his mind stutters into competence. Outside light attempts to filter through the tightly-woven mesh of dark blue blackout curtains, bringing a dull clarity to the messy and closed-off room. Blankets half-spilled off the bed can be heard shuffling as he tries to immerse himself into their previous warmth, willing his body to go back to sleep. He didn’t want to get up today, didn't want to face the harsh reality that would be surely slapping him in the face with each social media notification, text, or card, or lack thereof. It was his birthday. Yipee. 

When he was a kid, which feels simultaneously like weeks and decades ago, he would be ecstatic about his upcoming birthday; preparing since the start of the new year, planning parties, writing a birthday list, deciding what he wanted to do for the next year of his life. Now? It was just depressing. 

It’s been a year since he’s moved out of his parent’s house now, and nothing’s changed. If anything, things have gotten worse. After graduating high school with less-than-perfect grades, he convinced himself a gap year before going to college would be just what he needed to get his motivations back up. A year of leeching off his parent’s increasingly thinning patience and playing Minecraft later, and he was off to college. It was slightly more exclusive than community but essentially the same when it came to everything else. Even despite that Skeppy was surprised he managed to get in at all, to be honest. He spent a good three years of his life neglecting school to be a Youtuber, after all. 

He still kicks himself for his naivety every now and again. Maybe if he hadn’t put so much time into trying to make videos, he could have gotten used to actually studying for things. Maybe if he hadn’t put all his attention into going viral, he’d be able to focus on a textbook for more than 30 seconds at a time. 

But that’s not what happened. Everything he worked for, pushed so hard for, stayed up all hours of the night for, was for nothing. Skeppy never got popular, his channel never blew up, he never got the miraculous up-from-nothing content creator success story. He finally gave up. He couldn’t do it. It wasn’t going to happen, and it never would’ve happened. He still itches to open up OBS whenever he starts a game of Bedwars, still wants to bug some poor 7-11 employee about their store’s stock of peanut butter, but each time he shrugs it off and tries to forget the feeling of loss or the thoughts of what could have been. 

Maybe that’s why this is so daunting. Why turning 20 is such a big deal. It's a reality check, just like his failing channel was. He’s not a kid anymore. He has to face the fact that he has no idea what he’s going to do with his life, has to face that he’s done practically nothing in his first year of college because he’s so busy trying to forget everything else. 

He feels sick, and he can’t tell if it's because of his existential crisis or the 6-pack he chugged last night. Bile rises in his throat. So much for sleeping in. 

After emptying his stomach in the toilet and washing out his mouth with a 9-month old bottle of Listerine, he shivers in the stale air of his dorm room. The defective space-heater had apparently given up today, and Skeppy didn’t even know how to change the temperature on that thing, much less get it to start up again. He’d have to wait for his roommates to get back from classes to fix it, bunch of show-offs. The broken heater, paired with the unceasing January chill, means he’d actually have to put on pants for once. He dug around his room for anything slightly wearable, the cleanest thing he could find was a long-forgotten duck onesie shoved in the back of his closet, probably a weird drunken purchase. After much deliberation, he decided that he wasn’t gonna risk either of his roommates coming back and seeing him in a duck outfit alone on his birthday. That’s a little pathetic, and that’s coming from a guy who asked the takeout dude on the phone to be his boyfriend multiple times in front of his friends. Why did they think that was a good idea, again? 

Finally, he found some only lightly-stained sweatpants under a mountain of hoodies and sweatshirts. Christ, he needs to do some laundry soon… But it's his birthday, yeah, he’s not gonna do laundry on his birthday! Birthdays are for… Hanging out with friends? No, apparently everyone’s at some big test he’s totally ignoring the existence of. Parties? Maybe he could go and buy some decorations? Nah, no way he’s gonna want to clean that up later, and it's a waste of his very-limited amount of spending money. Go outside and enjoy the world around him? Absolutely not, he’s pretty sure his clothes smell like all the various probably-illegal things he’s been doing the past year, and he’d probably disintegrate if the sun touched him. Get absolutely hammered? Now _there’s_ a viable option! 

On the kitchen counter, among the various bottles and pizza boxes, there was an unfamiliar pan covered in tinfoil, a bright yellow sticky note stuck to the front, reading: 

_happy birthday skeppy, finn and vurb said they made these for you, said it’s so you’ll have a ‘good time on ur bday’ probs just weed, me and spifey are gonna be late tonight studying, but we’re all gonna celebrate tmrw. stay safe, have fun, dont die, we luv u -tapl_

Pulling back the foil were brownies. Finn and Vurb made these for him? He didn’t know whether to be touched, doubtful, or scared. The safe bet was all three. But hey, this just made his mission even easier. Thank christ the brownies were precut because god knows they didn’t have any clean silverware. 

Taking the whole pan with him to the couch, Skeppy scrolls through youtube on the T.V., taking a bite of a brownie. Clicking on a random how-to video (he could never really stomach Minecraft videos anymore, they just remind him of the success he never had), the right side of his face felt prickly and warm, like he was sitting next to a harsh ray of sun. 

The windows were as closed as ever, and the rest of his body was just as cold. Did the brownies really work that fast? No, not unless they were something really weird. But the heat got closer, he felt it in his arm, his crossed leg, his neck. He turned, and his whole face was washed in the strange, not quite uncomfortable feeling. He heard something not quite there before, different from the droning of the video, a whisper slipping under the others, the tone just a bit too high to fit in. 

“H-Hello?” as stupid as Skeppy felt talking to nothing, he didn’t know what else to do, frantically looking for a source of the noise, unable to come to any conclusion other than the constant warmth emitting from beside him. His heart was beating out of his chest, fear knotted his stomach and he felt an uncanny sense of doom. His ears started to ring and he swore that he heard the tone curl up into something equating to a _hiiii._

“Who are you, wha- what’s going on, what the fuck is this-” his frantic whisper cracked halfway through and sweat began to bead down his brow. His breath quickened and he could hear his blood rushing in his ears. 

“ _Hey, language!”_ Light exploded in front of Skeppy, closing his eyes instinctively as his burnt retinas echoed an ovular shape into the lids. A yelp ripped through the air and Skeppy shielded his face with his hands, shrinking away on his couch, feeling like he was next to a campfire now.

“ _Uh oh, sorry about that, hehe, I’ll try to tone it down a bit… I guess I’m just excited,”_ The noise (voice?) smoothed out, becoming less static-y and more legible. The heat on his skin dropped back to a barely-there warmth, reminding him briefly of waking up this morning. 

“J-Jesus fu-” 

“ _AH- stop!!! Oh my goodness, language!”_ His skin prickled again at the rising temperature, but it dropped soon after. 

_“Oh my goodness don’t_ say _that… You know what? That’s your first lesson, no naughty language!”_ Skeppy could barely comprehend what was happening, finally able to calm down enough to register the meaning of the words. He slowly lowered his shaking hands, eyes still screwed shut, although the light in front of him seemed dimmer than before. 

“What the f- uh. What is going on?” A soft, satisfied hum passed, almost undetectable under his ear’s ringing. 

_“Well, essentially, I’m your guardian angel! I know we got off to a bit of a rocky start, but I’m sure we’ll be great partners!”_

Skeppy finally cautioned to crack one of his eyes open. In front of him was a figure illuminated enough that the brightness masked its features, leaving only faint suggestions, like the marks on a full moon, staring at it was uncomfortable but not unbearable like before. It seemed to be hooded, white cloth draped over its head and shoulders, and two appendages sprouted from behind its torso. Were those wings? Finally, the most defining feature of whatever-this-is was the large ring encircling its head, appearing to be the main source of its unending light. This thing said it was an angel, right? Skeppy glanced back down at his half-eaten brownie. 

“What the he-ck did Vurb do to these? Is this LSD? What the actual frick,” Skeppy almost laughed out, as if he was willing this to be some sort of joke. 

What kind of weird trip was he on? He knew he was planning to get fucked up, but he didn’t mean like this. Didn’t TapL say it was just weed? Vurb and Finn weren’t actually that messed up, right? They wouldn’t give him something that could do this without telling him, right? Oh Jesus. What a party this turned out to be. Whatever. There’s no way this is real. This is a mental breakdown or something. He can probably sleep it off, he’s getting drowsy anyway. 

Curling up into a ball on the couch, he could almost ignore the unnatural warmth next to him as the ringing in his ears reduced to nothing, and the long-forgotten youtube video came back into clarity. 

_“Hey, wait a minute, what? What’s el-es-dee? Don’t you want to know more about me? Why I’m here, what’s going on, all of that? Don’t tell me you’re going to sleep, you woke up an hour ago and it’s literally 5 pm! Isn’t it your birthday, too? Are you listening to me? Hey? Hey! Don’t ignore me! You don’t even want to know my name? We’ve barely even gotten acquainted! Come on, answer me!”_ The thing’s tone got increasingly high-pitched and whiny as Skeppy continued to try to will himself to sleep, but the tone was threatening to get his ears ringing again at the rate it was going. Skeppy groaned.

“Dude, shut up! You aren’t even real, you’re just, like, a figment of my imagination! Shouldn’t I be able to turn you off or something? Just stop talking oh my god!” 

_“Oh... Uh, language…”_ It sounded less enthusiastic, and when Skeppy glanced up at it, its wings were hunched over and its head was hung like it was a kicked puppy or something. Christ, why did he feel bad for a weird hallucination? 

“Ugh, dude, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry, okay? This is probably some weird guilt or something manifesting because my friends fed me drugs or whatever, I don’t even know why I’m talking to you, this is so stupid-” 

_“Your friends fed you drugs? Why, are you sick?”_ That made him laugh, if only a bit. When was the last time he thought of drugs in the medical sense? His brain was really digging up some buried information. The figure’s approximation of a head tilted, wings raising back up slightly. Why was it so detailed? He needs to WebMD this or something, what the hell is he on right now? 

“Uh, yeah sorta. That’s why I need lots of rest,” He’s not lying, technically. Depression counts as being sick, right? It’s called a mental _illness_ after all. 

_“Oh my goodness you’re actually sick? I’m so sorry! The noise and light couldn’t have been doing you any good, oh gosh, I’m sorry, this is such a bad first impression, oh my goodness- I’ll- I’ll let you get to sleep, okay? Do you need anything? I should probably leave, the radiance can’t be doing you any good- do you want a blanket or something? You should probably put that brownie down, you’ll get crumbs all over the couch-”_ The thing waved its arms in frenzied movements, the bright feathers on its wings puffing, the static dripping back into its voice. 

“Dude. Just chill out, it's fine. I just. want. to go. to sleep, okay? I don’t care what you do, just be a little _quieter,_ alright?” Skeppy sighed, plopping the brownie onto the coffee table. It looked like it was about to respond, before thinking better of it and simply nodding hurriedly. 

“Cool. ‘Night.” Skeppy buried his face into the worn, but comfortable couch and the warmth beside him was suddenly snatched away, leaving him colder than before. A quick glance and the thing was gone. That probably meant something, but God knows he did not want to think about whether the weird spooky angel thing was real right now. He finally registered a faint pounding in his head, as if his day couldn’t get any better. 

The video came to an end on the T.V., the autoplay disabled, leaving unsettling silence. Skeppy is alone. He was alone this whole time, surely, so why does he only feel it now? Not only his head is aching now, the realization of his loneliness hitting him like a truck. He tries to push away his thoughts but the reality of the situation dawns on him. 

Look at him, spending his birthday ditching a test and having a mental breakdown on his couch. He can’t even stand being present for more than a few hours each day, He doesn’t ever eat if his roommates don’t force him to, doesn’t ever drink unless it’ll get him drunk. He’s so pathetic. What the fuck is he doing with his life? He’s so young but he feels so, so old. He’s wasted so much time. What is he going to do now? How is he going to fix this? He’s in so deep, he won’t be ever able to dig out. Why doesn’t he just give up? Why does he even bother to stick around? He’s so stupid and worthless and pathetic and _alone-_

The warmth was back. 

_“Uh. Sorry, um, I brought you this, I think it’ll make you feel a bit better.”_ A whisper, barely there, brushed the corner of his ears. A glass of water was set on the coffee table, and a blanket was draped over his back that almost certainly wasn’t there before. 

_“I haven’t seen you drink at all today, I really think you should if you can,”_ A smile tugged at his lips as he realized how dry his mouth was, reaching out for the glass and gulping down its contents in seconds, washing the chocolate off his tongue. 

Skeppy hugged the blanket around him, the warmth surrounding him and eyes drooping. 

“Hey, uh- thanks. Can you do me one last favor?” His voice was soft as he was relaxing further and further. 

_“O-Of course.”_

“Please don’t leave…” 

And when Skeppy somehow managed to drift away, he basked in the warmth of company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD WHY IS WRITING FANFIC SO HARD HOW DO YOU FANFIC AUTHORS DO IT YOU'RE BRAVER THAN ANY US MARINESKDNFKFNVDFLK  
> also i am on my hands and knees begging for you dudes to comment if u actually like this i wont have enough motivation to expand upon this if no one likes it  
> also also i dont know if im gonna make this platonic or romantic so thats why i tagged as both pls comment which one you want it to be i cant make decisions for myself


	2. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was originally be a lot longer but suddenly i hit another 2k words so i decided to split it up, soz if the plot didnt seem to go far

Skeppy’s eyes drift open and closed as his mind stutters into competence. Outside darkness seeps through the glass doors leading to the small patio, dark gray curtains unusually drawn back. Blankets half-spilled off the couch can be heard shuffling as he tries to draw himself closer to the soft, radiant warmth of the light beside him. Above him, he hears a soft hum, drifting between pitches and intonations like a distinctly inhuman lullaby. He didn’t remember leaving the T.V. playing… in fact, he remembered- No. No way the hallucination was real. The singing stuttered at Skeppy’s suddenly stiffening body, the warmth beside him fluctuating like a skipped heartbeat. 

It was still here. Was it weird that a part of him was comforted that it obeyed him yesterday? This was so fucked up. This has to be schizophrenia or something, no way actual angels exist. Was he seriously about to talk to it again? Damn it… 

“Are you singing?” His voice was still rough and scratchy with sleep, and he feels the air swelter for a moment. 

_ “No! D-Did it wake you up?”  _ Skeppy scoffed at the contradiction before shaking his head, pulling himself into a sitting position. 

“Nah, you’re good… It’s dark out, what time is it?” 

_ “Oh, you’ve been asleep for about eight hours, so that would make it… um… about 1:30 am!”  _

“Dude, you know how long I’ve been sleeping but not the actual time? You’re so creepy!” Skeppy chuckled at what seemed to be an offended gasp emitting from the glowing figure sat beside him. 

_ “Oh my goodness, I am not creepy! Why would you say that?! I’m just making sure you get the correct amount of rest, I have to look out for you!”  _

“Oh yeah, you’re supposedly my ‘guardian angel’ or whatever, right?”

_ “That’s right! Wait- what do you mean ‘supposedly’? I’m not lying!”  _

“Oh, it's not that  _ you’re  _ lying, it’s that you’re a weird hallucination and  _ I’m _ lying. To myself,” Skeppy explained, wondering why he would even bother to if he actually believed that. 

_ “I- I’m not a hallucination! Why would you- I’m real! How am I not real?! Look I can- I can glow and stuff, you can feel it!”  _

Skeppy grinned. In truth, he kinda believed the angel, they had a bit of a point, and he didn’t know how the curtains could have been moved or how the blanket and cup got here yesterday or how what looks like the entire living room had been neatened unless there was  _ something  _ there, no way Skeppy did it and forgot, and he’s pretty sure TapL or Spifey wouldn’t be in the mood for spring cleaning after taking that huge exam and studying all night. 

So yeah, despite it all, this thing was probably real. But to be honest, it was kind of funny hearing them so distressed over not being seen as real. 

“Man, I can feel lots of things. The A.C. is probably just randomly turning on and I’m getting sweaty. That thing’s real broken, y’know? Well, obviously you’d know since I made you up.” 

_ “Oh my goodness, I am NOT A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION!!! YOU DID NOT MAKE ME UP!!! I’m REAL!!!”  _ Skeppy had to force a straight face, willing himself to not reveal his immense amusement at the angel’s screaming. 

“Oh yeah? How come I can do… This?!” Skeppy’s arm darted forward, passing through the angel’s torso. An unexpected coolness laid past the illusion of flesh, a stark contrast to the burning aura they were now giving off. In all honesty, that was kind of a shot in the dark, he only guessed that if the angel could touch him, at this point they probably would have, or that Skeppy would have succeeded in at least brushing them with all the grabbing and shifting he was doing while waking up. Looks like luck rewarded his impulsivity tonight. 

_ “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! You’re seriously telling me you felt nothing? Yes, I may be slightly incorporeal, that doesn't mean I’m not there!”  _ They gestured wildly with each statement, the air around them getting more and more heated. 

“Dude, it's just the A.C.-” His voice wavered from trying not to burst out laughing. 

_ “IT’S NOT THE A.C.!!! OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT KIND OF AIR CONDITIONING WORKS LIKE THAT? HOW WOULD THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! ARE YOU  _ TRYING _ TO GET ON MY NERVES?”  _ Skeppy finally lost it, using his hands to shield his giggles from the luminescent being. 

“Du-Dude, the heater is- our heater is really fucked up-” 

_ “OH MY- LANGUAGE! I’M GONNA- YOU’RE-- JUST- YOU’LL SEE, AAGH!!!”  _ The room darkened as the angel disappeared, taking the warmth in the air with them. Skeppy’s laugh quietened after a few seconds, a bit distraught at the newfound coldness. He didn’t actually piss them off, right? Great, even the thing he’s, like, fate-bound to can’t stand to be around him. 

“Uh… I was just kidding, dude. I believe you. You can- you can come back now…” This time, he actually felt like he was talking to himself, only the pale moonlight on the floor to keep him company. 

After a few minutes, he finds his eyes drawn to the night sky beyond the chilled panes of the doors. How long has it been since he’s just taken the time to appreciate the stars? Maybe he’s just desperate for a distraction, but he finds himself pulling closer to them.

Skeppy slides the handle and cool air flows around him. Hugging his hoodie closer to him, he embraces the chill, shutting the door behind him. There’s a small fold-out chair on the balcony, dirty and worn like most of the things in the dorm. He drops in it, neck craned upward to the sky. 

The onyx is brushed with dark-gray clouds, drifting slowly in a breeze too high for him to feel. The stars stay stagnant as ever, occasionally dulling and shining brighter. It’s funny, the twinkling kind of reminds him of the… No, he came out here to forget about that, right? He needs to take his mind off that stuff… 

But the sky… What does it contain? If angels are real, surely there’s a heaven. Where is it? In the very same sky, far above him, nestled amongst the space and stars? Is it in its own little universe, far removed from anything he knows? Or is it right here, surrounding him where he sits? Could he ask? Does this question actually have a definable answer, and is it actually within his grasp? 

And this heaven… will he make it in? What has he done with his life if not be a burden? What actions have he taken if not sin? What is enough of an evil to bar someone from eternal happiness? Has he done it? Is he irredeemable? Does everyone have a guardian angel, or is he just terrible enough to warrant one? 

God, he feels stupid for not asking the angel questions when he had the chance… 

Oh no, his chance. Was that it? The angel left, he’s alone  _ again _ , did he screw everything up? Was that his one shot at redemption, and did he just throw it away? 

Skeppy finally lowered his head, neck aching. He stared at his hands. They were shaking. What is this? Who is he? What the fuck is he going to do? How is he supposed to make everything better? How is he supposed to believe that everything’s going to turn out okay? He’s in a state of assumed, therefore assured, failure. His heart felt trapped in his chest, nerves bound in his own skin. He wanted this feeling to be over, he wanted this to stop, he wanted  _ out.  _ He wanted to escape. The street loomed far below him. He didn’t want to be here. Their room was four stories up. His legs were shaking too, now, as he stood. The gate barring the edge wasn’t very tall, only about three feet. He wanted… 

The door slid open behind him. 

“Hey dude, what’re you doin’ out here?” Skeppy jumped at his roommate's sudden entrance, and he realized how cold he was, teeth shattering and nose threatening to run. 

“Oh. Uh, n-nothing. J-Just some st-stargazing, I guess,” Skeppy stammered, holding his sides as if to contain any warmth hidden there. Or to hide his true intentions.

“Are you okay, dude? It’s like… super cold out here, even for me.” An unfamiliar worry laced Spifey’s accented voice as Skeppy returned with him inside. It wasn’t as warm as the angel, but it was good enough. Skeppy wiped his nose on his sleeve. 

“Yeah, no, I just got distracted, I kinda forgot. Can you fix the heater, by the way?” 

_ “That’s  _ why Harv wanted to sleepover! Yeah, sure dude, but y’know you’re gonna have to learn how to do it by yourself eventually.” 

“Hmm, no I won’t. You know I’m shit at that stuff, plus, I got you two!” Spifey got to work on the heater, opening compartments and fiddling with its parts. He glanced back, an unreadable expression on his face. 

“What if we aren’t here, though?” 

Skeppy frowned, tilting his head slightly at the question, “I’d wait for you guys to come back.” 

Oh. That’s the expression Spifey was making. Pity. 

“Dude… You know we’re not going to be around forever, right?” 

“Pft, fine dude, I guess I would just WikiHow it or something,” Skeppy tried to laugh it off, but Spifey let out an exasperated sigh as he continued to work on the machine in front of him. 

“It’s not just about the stupid heater though, you know that, right? What are you going to do, like, in  _ general? _ I don’t want to sound like a prick, but you kinda don’t even take care of yourself when there’s no one telling you to.” Skeppy’s thoughts flashed back to the glass of water and blanket the angel brought him last night. Jesus, he didn’t want to talk about this. 

“Yeah, I know… I’ll- I’m working on that, okay? I’m gonna try to get better this year,” he finally said, a bit hesitant. 

“Promise?” 

Spifey was now facing him as if he was ready to spot the lie in his expression. Skeppy sighed. 

“...I promise. I’ll try my best.” 

Spifey gave him a gentle smile, “That’s all you can do. Anyway, heater should be good now.”

Skeppy was suddenly aware of how great his friends were. When he grinned back, it felt a little genuine. 

“Thanks. Oh yeah, why are you still up? Weren’t you out studying, like, all night?” 

Spifey rubbed the back of his head, a bit sheepishly, “Couldn’t fall asleep I guess. I  _ did _ drink a Monster when we were studying, maybe it hasn’t worn off yet or something.” 

“Couldn’t be me, bro, I am literally always down to sleep.”

“Is that why you were passed out when we left  _ and  _ when we came back? At least you managed to change places, that’s an improvement.” 

“Yeah, maybe, shut up!” Skeppy laughed, grabbing the remote off the coffee table and falling back on the couch, “Wanna watch a movie or something ‘till Tapman gets up?” 

Spifey dropped beside him. “Sounds good to me. Oh, that reminds me, you excited for the party tomorrow? Or, I guess it's technically today.” 

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I’ve had a lot to think about lately, I guess. But yeah! It's gonna be great, it's been awhile since all seven of us got together.” Skeppy scrolls through Netflix fruitlessly before giving up and passing the remote to Spifey. Skeppy never really watched that many T.V. shows, just Youtube, so he had no clue as to what he or Spifey would enjoy. 

“True, true… I blame Mega and Finn. They never wanna show up,” Spifey conceded, easily picking something from the trending category. 

“To be fair, Harvey doesn’t either most of the time, we just don’t notice ‘cause we live with him.” 

Spifey chuckled, “Yeah, fair enough.” 

They both fall in a comfortable silence as the movie starts, sharing occasional comments and laughing. When Skeppy suddenly got up to get himself a glass of water, Spifey didn’t voice his confusion, only asking if Skeppy could make some popcorn as well. Maybe Skeppy was going to try and keep his promise after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EVERYONE WHO SAID THEY LIKED SKEPPY AND BAD'S DYNAMIC, I'M SO SORRY I HAD TO DO IT TO EM I NEEDED THOSE 2018 VIBES (dw bad's gonna be back soon lads)  
> also can you all tell how much i like questions  
> also also i didnt really edit this one that much so sorry if its a lot worse u can tell me and next time ill make sure to edit for longer, i just really wanted to release this today


	3. Pancakes

Skeppy jolted awake, finding himself being shaken by Spifey, who was leaning over him on the couch. His eyes were wide and urgent. 

“Oi, wake up, Tap made you some birthday pancakes, they’re gonna get cold.” Wait, pancakes? Oh fuck yeah. He lunged forward, almost ramming his forehead into Spifey’s, who pulled away at the last second. 

“Really?!” 

“Dude, chill, oh my god- They’re right at the table, go get ‘em.” 

Skeppy guessed that spending 19 of the last 24 hours asleep actually did some good energy-wise because he instantly sprung to the strangely-uncluttered table past the kitchen, which was just as neat, large bags of garbage piled around the trashcan notwithstanding. A platter of about six pancakes sat in the center of the table, next to a bottle of syrup, silverware, and a stack of three plates. Skeppy grabbed one and inspected it as he sat down.

“Yo, did one of you actually clean the dishes for this?  _ And _ the kitchen? You didn’t have to do that!” 

Spifey and TapL looked at each other, then back at him. 

“Actually… we thought… you did that?” TapL said, obviously confused and a bit concerned. 

“Yeah, I was just about to ask you about that last night before you went to bed… Did someone come in while you were sle- Wait- Is this a troll?” Spifey’s voice immediately rose with relief that there wasn’t a weird break-in to clean their dorm. 

Skeppy kicked himself.  _ Of course. The angel.  _ Just when he was beginning to forget about them, too. He laughed humorlessly. 

“Yep, you got me, just tryna freak you out a bit! You should’ve seen your faces! What can I say, I’m a changed man, wanted to do something nice since you were out all day doin’ school shit.” His roommates looked at him, a bit skeptical before Spifey shrugged and they both seemed to just accept it. 

“Well, thanks dude, seriously. That definitely made the pancakes things easier, and it's pretty nice not having to deal with a bunch of shit laying around, I must admit,” TapL patted him on the back before plopping in the chair to his left. 

“Yeah, same. Kinda lame troll, though, not gonna lie. Have you lost your touch?” Spifey teased as he sat across from him. TapL began passing around the plates and silverware, placing a pancake on each. 

“No! I’m just lulling you into a false sense of security before I do my best one yet, you thinking I lost that just means it's working!”

“You can get extra pancakes if you want, birthday boy. Also, wouldn’t you telling us that plan ruin the whole point of ‘lulling us into a false sense of security?’” TapL said around his pancake, using his free hand to make finger-quotes. Skeppy pulled two more pancakes on his plate, drenching each in syrup. 

“Uh- no, shut up. Let’s talk about how weird it is that you don’t put syrup on your pancakes instead.”

“Dude, that’s not weird. Plus, shouldn’t you be grateful that you have that much more syrup to absolutely decimate yours in?” 

“You guys are both wrong. You must find a perfect equilibrium of syrup and pancake in order to truly appreciate both components.” 

“Bold of you to assume that I know what those big words mean, Geo.” 

“Skeppy, are you seriously saying ‘equilibrium’ is a big word? It literally has ‘equal’ right there? Do you have the reading comprehension of a third grader?” TapL giggled. 

“SHUT UP! It’s my birthday, I don’t deserve to be bullied like this!” 

“Actually, it’s not your birthday anymore-”

“GEO!” Skeppy whined, finally giving up and shoving his thoroughly-soaked pancakes into his mouth. He took a moment to take everything in around him. TapL was wearing a large, black sweater that Skeppy doesn’t recognize him ever wearing, sleeves pooling around his wrists. Maybe it  _ was _ for the best that he didn’t use any syrup because the fabric would’ve probably been ruined by the time he’d finished eating. Spifey was in just a t-shirt as usual, impervious to the slight chill that always clung to the apartment air during the winter months. The light from the window behind him left his figure in slight darkness, an antithesis to the angel.  _ Shit.  _ His heart dropped at another reminder of their absence. It’s been hours now. They really were gone for good, huh? A part of him still held on to hope that he’d see that light again, feel that warmth… He felt cold. Did the stupid heater break again? 

He’d only known them for a few hours, yet already the absence was beginning to drain him in a way he couldn’t really explain. Maybe he was right the whole time. Maybe it was just a weird hallucination. At this point, he can’t say he wouldn’t prefer to believe the angel was never real and that their apartment was actually broken into by the world’s weirdest criminal. At least then he would just need to invest in a better lock and not be stuck with the moral quandary of heaven and hell, good and evil, and where he fell on that scale.

“Skeppy? You good?” Skeppy almost had deja-vu looking at Spifey and TapL’s matching concerned faces. 

“Yeah, uh, you’ve been really quiet,” TapL added. Fuck, where’d his earlier cheer go? Think about pancakes or birthdays or the party or something-

“Ugh, sorry, just- thinking about what we’re gonna do today! We’re meeting at that bar, right?” 

“Mhm, in fact…” Spifey glanced down at his phone, “We should probably start getting ready soon, it’s gonna be in a few hours.” 

“You mean  _ you _ should start getting ready. We don’t take 30 hours to plan our outfits like you, Geo.” 

“Oh come on, Tadpole, you love my outfits, I work so hard on them for you,” Spifey winked, before picking up his plate and leaving, calling behind him from the kitchen, “In fact, I should start working on that, be ready by 3, guys.”

TapL blinked dumbly a few times before muttering a “what?” long after Spifey had departed. Skeppy barked out a laugh. 

“Seriously, right in front of my pancakes? What  _ was _ that, bro?” 

TapL buried his face in his hands and groaned, “I don’t know!! What was that even supposed to mean?! Is he just making fun of me?” 

Skeppy snorted, “I mean, I dunno man, I’m probably not the one you should go to for boy talk. You guys are like the only two humans I’ve interacted within the past month, and you’re setting a horrible example on how to flirt.” 

“We don’t  _ flirt!” _

Skeppy was fully laughing now. “Dude! You don’t call sleeping with each other and sharing clothes flirting?! And talking about how much you  _ love Spifey’s outfits- _ ” 

“ _ SHUT UP- Shut up oh my god-  _ First of all, don’t  _ say _ it like that! I was just in his room! And Geo said that, not me! Oh my god- I am disgusted, I am revolted- I dedicate my entire morning to making pancakes, and  _ this  _ is the thanks I get?! _ ”  _ TapL wheezed, shrinking down until his face was hidden under his arms on the table. 

“Dude, that’s the same thing! You guys make my brain hurt, I don’t get why you don’t just go on a date or something-”

“Okay, shut up, we’re not talking about this, I’m leaving, you suck, I hate you-” TapL flees, leaving Skeppy in the company of himself and four pancakes. 

Well. They don’t have any tupperware to store these. He pours a fresh lake of syrup and digs in. 

  
  


“You ready, Skeppy?” Spifey asked, grabbing the keys from the coat rack by the door, as TapL layered on another jacket. 

“Yeah, I’m good, let’s go.” Patting his pocket to make sure he remembered his phone, he got up from his pc and joined them by the door. Spifey looked him up and down, one eyebrow raised. 

“Uh. You really wanna go out like that?” 

“Dude, I always wear this!” 

“Bro, you always wear a hoodie with syrup all over it? And sweatpants with… I don’t even want to know what that is.” Skeppy glanced down. Shit, he was right. He rubbed half-heartedly at the syrup before declaring it a lost cause. 

“Well this is still probably the cleanest thing I have, and we’re already running late, let’s just go.” 

Spifey looked at him judgmentally, “Okay, but don’t come crying to me when no one wants to be within five feet of your smelly ass.” 

“I smell wonderful, thank you very much!” 

“Guys, this is, like, the third time you’ve had this conversation, if you’re not gonna change, let's go,” TapL groaned, pushing out the door. Skeppy stuck his tongue out at Spifey before following, who rolled his eyes and locked the door behind them all. 

“So, how far away is it, we gonna have to drive there? I call driving-” Spifey cut Skeppy off. 

“No, and  _ no.  _ It's a good distance, but there’s probably gonna be a bunch of traffic ‘cause it's Saturday, so it’d be quicker to just walk. That’s why I lied about when we had to be there!” 

"Dude,  _ what??  _ Ugh, so we could've waited until later? I was in the middle of a match!" Skeppy whined, Astellic was pissed when he said he had to suddenly disconnect. 

"Oi, you should be thanking me, that was a big-brain play. You literally are the slowest walker I know, it was insurance. You probably would've lost that game anyway, you're trash at COD."

"Take that shit back! You're literally so much worse than me!" Skeppy lunged at him, pretending to punch Spifey all over his torso. Spifey laughed before mirroring his movements, the fight devolving into a slapping match. TapL rubbed between his eyebrows, sighing deeply. 

“Guys, holy shit, people are staring, can you stop acting like five-year-olds at least until we get there?” 

Spifey shoved Skeppy away by his forehead, his arms long enough to where the shorter’s flailing arms couldn’t reach him. “You heard Tappy, I guess I’ll end this and be the bigger man,” he smirked, “literally.” 

TapL caught Skeppy’s hood as he cried out in rage, grabbing at Spifey. “Calm down there, tiger.” 

“You guys suck.” Skeppy pulled the drawstrings of his hoodie until there was only a small hole to peek out of, knotted it quickly, and crossed his arms, stomping after TapL. “We better get to this stupid bar soon, I’m tired.” 

Spifey caught up to him, laughing easily, “Dude, it's been like two blocks.” 

  
  


When they finally arrived at the rundown pub, Skeppy had given up on pouting and ended up collecting two bucks from Spifey on bets about how many red cars they would pass before getting there. They spotted Finn and Vurb sitting at a large wraparound booth near the back, next to a wall of neon signs advertising various alcohol. 

“Skeppy! My man! My birthday boyyy!” Vurb called, meeting him on the way to the table, embracing him quickly, patting him on the back.

“So, didja like our present?” Finn purred, sipping at his coke.  _ Oh yeah, the brownie he had right before- _ Goddamnit. 

“Oh yeah, those were good, I still have some leftover, thanks for that, man,” he said, sliding onto the bench as Finn reached over to ruffle his hair. 

“No problem, glad you liked it. I had to physically restrain Vurb from giving you a ‘one free toe suck’ coupon, though, so maybe you should thank me for that.” 

Vurb laughed, “Aw no, c’mon, you would’ve loved that, wouldn’t you, Zak?" 

"...Thank you, Finn." They all laughed as Vurb sat next to Finn, Spifey, and TapL sitting to Skeppy's right. 

TapL spoke up, "Any word on when Zelk and Mega are gonna get here?" 

Finn shrugged, "Eh, I say we wait a bit longer, they're only five minutes late, and they're the ones that have their shit together most of the time. Let's just order some drinks."

"Sounds good, I'll text Mega just in case, I don't trust that little rat-bastard," Skeppy chimed in, pulling out his phone and sending him a quick text.

_ >Mega whwrer the fuckc are yody jeusk. Chrirxno ti rd been like 7 goursn _

_ <what the fuck are you even trying to say, dumbass? _

_ >yeo7r the budmnsalasd its nmy nrithsday you Littel bitxh how datd you syaj that to me dont you kneo who i am yo7s stipid underglage mute  _

_ <how do you even manage to spell that horribly when i know for a fact you aren't allowed to be drunk rn _

_ >it sw called fyxking effiencscyy birch _

_ <i'm not a tree.  _

_ >DH8T W YO WHEN ATW YOY VOMING OVET WITH ZELTLK _

_ <jfc. we're on the way, it'll be like a few more minutes. the idiot woke up like half an hour ago, it took forever to wake him up.  _

_ >WLEL HURRUD YP _

_ <why do i even bother explaining myself to you.  _

"Yeah, he said it'll be just a few more minutes," Skeppy chuckled, slipping his phone back into his pocket. 

Vurb clapped his hands together, "Well, in that case, let the party begin!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, hit 2k words again. im terrible at like movement and stuff so i hope this isnt horrible aaaaa also SORRY theres no bad in this one i swear its not gonna be that long but i somehow wrote 1k about eating pancakes so who can say  
> also also i wanna hear your opinions,, would you rather have  
> a. quick updates with shorter chapters (plus probably worse writing im bad under pressure)  
> b. takes longer to update but the chapters will be a lot longer and edited better  
> if its a., ill prob update every 1-2 days, if its b., itll prob be 4-6. im personally fine with doing either i just wanna make sure you guys still enjoy the fic. pls comment ur opinion (at least one of you i cant decide this myself :<)  
> also dontrollthedice said they like my fic can i get a POGCHAMP?? the spifLs for you, buddy


	4. It's My Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //caps  
> WHEW BOY, YOU GUYS REALLY SAID I COULD TAKE MY TIME AND I PROCEEDED TO BE LIKE "okay :D" THEN MAKE YALL WAIT A MONTH, YOU NEVER SHOULD'VE GIVEN ME ANY LEEWAY. at least i almost tripled the chapter length as an apology! this was suuper annoying to write and i couldnt find anyone to beta-read it so sorry if it's bad, but it shouldnt be too terrible maybe perhaps. anyway ty for the support ily all

By the time Mega and Zelk had finally arrived, their ‘party’ was in full swing. They had all ordered some food and a large serving of nachos for them to share from the bar. Finn was currently explaining his ‘master plan’ to everyone. 

“So basically, y’know, in conclusion, when we need free drinks, tell me and I’ll just get the outfit ready! It’s worked over and over again, just you watch. I’m telling ya, these things pay for themselves, fellas!”

“Finn, you’re a genius,” Spifey grinned, “I should’ve thought of that.”

“Well it’s patented now, find another way to leech off creepy guys.” 

“Like sucking their toes?” 

“Mega is telling you to shut the fuck up, Vurb,” Zelk was the only one well-versed in ASL, so he usually took the role of Mega’s translator when they hung out. Skeppy knew the alphabet and a few words in a pinch, a byproduct of being childhood friends, but Mega usually wouldn’t come to social outings without Zelk with him anyway. 

_“Anyway,_ I think they’re about to start karaoke soon, we should totally all do it!” Finn cut back in. 

“Mega says fuck you. _I_ say that sounds like a great idea, though.” Mega signs something else to Zelk, who laughs, “What, am I nothing but a voice box for you? Can I not have my own opinions?” Mega immediately nodded. 

Skeppy laughs, “Mega can like, whistle or something. You can whistle, right Mega?” 

“No, he cannot,” Zelk answered instantly, a smug expression on his face as Mega raised both middle fingers, nestling his glaring face further into his scarf.

“He can be percussion, like, clap to the song or something!” Spifey suggested, and TapL clapped a few times beside him, as if for example. 

“We could do the Friends theme song, like, half of that song is clapping. He can have, like, a solo!” 

“That’s actually not a bad idea, Vurb. I thought you would’ve suggested, like… Actually, I don’t know, are there any toe related songs?” 

“Finn. If there were I would’ve brought it up _much_ sooner than this.”

“...Fair enough. Okay, Mega, have you watched Friends before? Or heard the song? I assume the rest of you have, and if not, you can follow my example.” The mute shook his head, then signed something to Zelk. 

“He says that show is dogshit and he’d rather die than watch an episode. Rude. But yeah, he’s probably telling the truth, I tried to get him to watch it with me, like, a thousand times.” 

“I mean, he’s not wrong,” TapL finally spoke up. 

“It’s not that bad! You guys are just zoomers.”

“We’re all basically the same age, you just have boomer brain disease. Anyway, it goes like this Mega, repeat after me.” Finn quickly clapped four times in a row. Mega rolled his eyes and mirrored the action. 

“Perfect! And we’re all model singers, so no need to worry about that, right guys?” The group’s answers ranged from enthusiastic agreement to doubtful groans. 

“Great. Friends theme it is, shit show or not. Vurb, go put our names into the roster,” Finn ordered, slapping the back of the other’s cap lightly. 

“I expect toe pics in return,” he joked, approaching the man currently setting up the karaoke equipment. 

“What’re we gonna do after that?” Spifey asked.

“Well, I was thinking we’d get some dessert for the birthday boy over here, then I can put my master plan in action right as they open up the dance floor! That sound good to all of you?” 

“Ugh, you just reminded me I want caaakeee-” Skeppy whined, finally pausing his eating. 

“Dude, I don’t even know how you can still feel the need for cake after all of those nachos, not to mention those pancakes from this morning, oh my god,” Spifey remarked, “I got full after, like, a few chips.”  
“That’s because you’re weak and stupid, beaverboy. This is all getting turned into pure muscle mass.” 

“Then why are you still a toothpick?” 

“Bro, I am PURE MUSCLE! You wanna fight? I’ll kick your entire ass.” 

“Yeah, let’s go, 1v1 IRL Skywars.” 

“No, no, you should do Sumo, try to push each other out of the bar, whoever loses can’t come back inside,” Zelk interjects. 

“Would you really not let me back into my own party on my own birthday?” 

“If you can’t beat the beaver, yeah, it's kinda deserved,” Finn smirked. 

“Mega says you would have an advantage ‘cause you’re closer to the ground, you’ll be able to knock him off balance better, so if you lost, you’d really suck.” 

“His gross long arms have more reach than me! And shut up Mega, you’re one to talk, you 5’4 bitch.” 

“Oh, so you all want me to go into the fight to the death with a disadvantage, huh? Just tell me I’m not wanted! Also, ‘gross long arms?’ What the hell, man.” Spifey sighed dramatically, touching the back of his hand to his forehead before flicking Skeppy’s cheek.

“F, imagine people thinking you’re gonna lose against _Skeppy,”_ TapL snickered. 

“Why’d you have to diss both of us like that, man? You’re supposed to be on my side-” Spifey complained. 

“I’m on neither of you idiot’s sides-” 

“Okay, he put us down fourth, so it’ll be, like, 10 minutes after things are done set up,” Vurb chimed in, sliding back into the booth next to Finn. 

“Can we order the cake while we wait, then?” Zelk asked, “I don’t wanna hear Skeppy whine about it again.” 

“Yeah! Cake time! Cake tiiiiiiime! Caaaaaaake time! Ca-” 

“Mega and I both are telling you to shut the fuck up.” 

  
  


After ordering everyone a slice of cake and a semi-disastrous round of karaoke (which Mega ended up leaving halfway through), Finn returned from the bathroom to show them his aforementioned plan. His beanie had been taken off in favor of letting down his hair that had been growing out, his zip-up hoodie removed to reveal a blouse, and pants switched out for a skirt just higher than the knee. His heels were no longer covered by pant legs, and, in Skeppy’s opinion, Finn had pulled off his task of appearing feminine quite well. After he explained to the group that his alias was Rose, he left for the bar, promising to bring drinks for them later. 

Soon enough, everyone had siphoned a drink or two from ‘Rose,’ who was getting a pretty consistent stream from bargoers loitering around, the kind just there to get a date and get drunk. Spifey had also got them all a round, being the only one in the group old enough to buy. 

After his third electric iced tea, Skeppy fell into the booth seat, hazily watching Vurb and Finn do something akin to dance but not close enough to be classifiable, all flailing, unsteady steps, and bursts of laughter. Mega and Zelk watched from the sidelines, Zelk periodically leaning down to whisper in Mega’s ear, who would sign furiously or make a shaking movement of almost laughter. Skeppy saw TapL last dragging Spifey to the far corner of the pub, which he knew located an old arcade machine that TapL was unnecessarily good at.

This was nice. It was good to see all of his friends again. (Or, most of them at least. Techno was claiming that he needed to work on his family’s farm. In January. He did send him some pretty good potato chips, though.) Finals definitely changed something between them all. There was no longer any time to hang out regularly, and whenever they did, it was just catching up on their lives, never making any new memories. Skeppy had even felt isolated from Spifey and TapL, they were constantly out studying or testing, and when they were home they’d be crashing in their rooms, or only in the mood to eat or drink then go back to the former.

But now, finals are over, so why was everything still the same? It’s been weeks since he’s seen Vurb and Finn in person, a little over a month with Mega and Zelk. Were they just growing apart? It seemed like the only ones who still spent time together were those who were mandated to due to living together. 

Skeppy remembered penguins on an iceberg from a documentary he watched a while back, memories of the movie brief and smoke-hazed. The iceberg had split apart, probably because of global warming or some shit, and the penguins could only look frantically at each other as the waters pulled them away, hungry seals lurking in the water preventing them from ever reuniting. He never finished the film, quickly turning off the T.V. when the seals began to band together and the music turned ominous. Skeppy cried that night, thinking about the poor penguins, all alone and sentenced to a solitary death. 

He wondered if he and his friends were all penguins. How far out will his iceberg take him? How long before the seals find him and he gets torn apart in the icy sea? Not for the first time, he longed to return to his high school days, back to their weekly movie nights and fast food afterward, taking turns on who’s house they’d stay at. Back to being so dumb and hopeful for the future, convincing his friends to record a few videos with him. (Those were always the most fun.) Everything was so different. Everything changed. He hated it.

He watched Mega tug at Zelk’s sleeve, grabbing his attention from the scene before him. After a few quick strokes of Mega’s hands, Zelk nodded, striding over and poking Skeppy on the shoulder.

“Yo, Mega and I gotta head out.” 

Skeppy jolted upwards, “Huh? Oh, c’mon, why so soon?” he slurred. 

“Sorry bro, it’s his bedtime, you know he gets cranky without sleep- ow, fuck-” Zelk doubled over at the elbow jammed into his ribs. 

“I dunno man, he seems cranky all the time to me.” Mega was now furiously signing at Zelk. It was too fast for Skeppy to understand it, but he could get the message that Mega was punctuating with a middle finger. 

“I’m kidding, _obviously,”_ Zelk gave an exaggerated stare to Mega, “we just need to get to… a morning class tomorrow, so we can’t stay up late like last night. Can you tell the rest of them?”

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead, see you guys later.” Zelk wrapped an arm around Mega, waving as they turned to leave, “See ya, happy birthday!” Mega flipped him off over his shoulder, and they were gone, consumed by the crowd. 

A few seconds later, Spifey emerged from the wall of bodies, TapL trailing behind him, held onto his arm. 

“Did Mega and Zelk just go home?” Spifey questioned, barely audible in the mesh of noises. Skeppy only nodded, not wanting to strain his voice over the music again. 

“Cool, I think we’re gonna go pretty soon as well if that’s fine with you. We’re both pretty tired.” 

“Sure, whatever. I’ll see you guys in the morning, then?” 

“Did you bring any keys to the apartment?” 

“Uhh… no?” 

“Okay, well I’m not gonna wake up at 3 am to let you inside. I’m going to put the keys in that plant by the elevator, got it?” Spifey emphasized the last statement, drawing out his words like he was speaking to a preschooler. 

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure? Plant… by.. the... elevator.” 

Skeppy scoffed, _“Yes,_ I got it. I’m not a fucking kid, I can remember basic instructions.” 

Spifey raised his eyebrows slightly, taking a step back. “If you say so, dude. Stay safe, alright?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Goodnight, Zak! Goodnight!” TapL waved, clearly tipsy. Spifey pushed him towards the door, sparing one last glance at Skeppy, before vanishing as well. 

Skeppy groaned, burying his face into folded arms. Why did he have to act so aggressive? The thought of being in conflict with his friend bore a pit deep in his stomach. Spifey was only trying to be helpful, but a wave of unnatural anger pulsed through Skeppy, settling deep in his chest and putting him on edge. He could only see Spifey looking down on him, thinking he’s weak, pathetic, _pitiful_. He’s reminded once again of last night, his bespeckled eyes downturned and empathetic. 

Skeppy didn’t want empathy. In all honesty, he hated knowing that people were out there feeling the same things as him. He hated knowing that there are other people this low and able to overcome it, while he was left in the dust. It just reminded him of how truly useless he was. 

His head was pounding with the stereo and lights, but he didn’t want to go home yet and face the cold isolation that would be awaiting him, his roommates asleep and hidden behind walls. Maybe Finn was doing something interesting, he needed to tell him about their friends' sudden absences anyway. 

Forcing himself out of the booth, he pushed through the crowd, swaying slightly. He finally found Finn leaning against the bar, talking to some patrons on the stools. 

Finn was sweating, hair stuck to the sides of his face from his previous dancing. It seemed like his plan was working like a charm as the suitor slid him another drink, which Finn gulped down at a worryingly fast pace. 

“Fi- shit, wait, no- uh, Rose!” Skeppy called, hoping he wasn’t ruining whatever Finn had going on. 

“Oh, Zak, what’s up?” 

“Uh… oh yeah, Mega ‘n Zelk ‘n Geo ‘n Harvey just went home, I had to tell you…” 

Finn laughed, though nothing seemed particularly funny. “Yeah, I figured they would as much, bar’s aboutta close anyway. Hey, uh, Cameron here just invited me to his friend’s house party, wanna come with? Vurb said he was down to go, too.” 

This probably wasn’t a good idea. While Finn and Vurb had each other to drag them home in case something went south, Skeppy had no such luxury. Plenty of times he’s woken up with a killer hangover in some random person’s closet with no real clue on how to get back to his apartment, ending up having to borrow the poor host’s phone charger so he could call himself a ride. But when have bad ideas ever barred him from doing something?

“Yeah, sure.” 

Soon enough, he was stuffed in the back seat with Finn, Vurb, and another straggler he didn’t recognize, pressed uncomfortably close to Vurb, who kept pretending to grab at his feet or complimenting ‘Rose.’ Arriving at a frat house, the party seemed to already be in full swing. Multicolored lights glared from the first-story windows, muffled music could be heard from inside, and people were littered around the porch, bottles and joints in hand. Seemed like a good time. 

Skeppy managed to sober up a little on the short drive to campus, making the heavy smell of smoke all the more head-spinning when he walked through the door. The crowds were almost as bad as the bar’s, people grouped together, talking, drinking, or smoking. Those by the central couch looked to be doing games, in a circle around an empty beer bottle. 

Skeppy walked straight to the kitchen, the easiest way to get acquainted with the quality of any social gathering. There were liters of soda with varying degrees of fullness, store-bought cookies and cupcakes, five pizza boxes scattered throughout the countertops, each with some different type of topping. Finally, there was the classic mysterious bowl of punch and cooler full of various alcohol. Plastic cups and plates were stacked high surrounding the buffet of food.

He shoved down a cookie or two, washing them down with punch, bitter with the taste of unsubtle liquor. Welcoming the burn pooling in his chest, Skeppy dug around the cooler to find any other drinks he could tolerate. None of it was as good as the stuff at the bar, but he stopped caring as he chugged as much of the cheap beer and stale rum as he could handle. 

Only when he began to waver on his feet and see static in his vision did he stumble to a wall for support, taking a bottle or two with him. He surveyed the area, vision blurred. He stumbled to a spot where the wall was bare and a comfortable-looking carpet was pressed against it, near the house’s entrance. 

Bile threatened to rise in his throat as he took another swig. Why was he doing this? What’s the point? It doesn’t feel good now, it won’t feel good later, so why continue? Why throw away his life like this for fleeting moments of pleasure and even longer moments of pain? He can’t pull himself together enough to be a functioning member of society for even a few hours, he always falls back to a distraction, something to take his mind away from this pathetic life. 

Why live like this? Close to nothing makes him truly happy anymore, he’s tired of the same routine, of the mask of enthusiasm and positivity he always wears, of pretending he doesn’t care when he really does, so much, enough that his emotions threaten to drown him, sinking him deeper and deeper each day… 

_“-eppy?_ Skeppy!” a firm touch on his shoulder jerked him from his thoughts as he flinched up to meet a stranger’s gaze. In the dim light, it was hard to make sense of their eye color from where they hid behind their glasses, seeming dark and light at the same time as they stared owlishly at him. Their hair was dark in the shadows but shone enough to allude to a brighter color as it was swept over their forehead, skin pale and smooth. Their pink lips were curled into an agape slight-smile. _Pretty…_

Were they radiating heat? Skeppy’s shoulder tingled at the touch, his face felt like it was burning as he drew closer and closer, their eyes dancing across his face as if they were taking in every detail, before (fortunately? unfortunately?) they drew back, a smirk stretching across their face as they crossed their arms in satisfaction. 

“See? I _told_ you that I’m real!” 

Skeppy stared at the stranger blankly. What?

“...The fuck?” 

“Ay! Language! I had _one_ rule, how did you already forget it!?” Language… rules… wait- 

“No way. Nooo way. Are you trying to say you’re the-” 

The angel’s smile only grew, closing his eyes and lowering his glasses, opening one in a wink. It shone a pure white, casting a light ray on Skeppy’s face. Just as quickly, he pushed the eyewear back up, the irises he found fascinating returning. 

Skeppy found a flabbergasted grin spreading across his face, his heart thumping in elation. 

“Dude- how- there’s no way- oh my God, oh my God!” his whispers dissipated into giggles, and the familiar feeling of self-doubt and disbelief returned to him, but he didn’t mind it as much this time. The angel didn’t abandon him, they were back, they didn’t leave, he still had his chance-

“Language, Skeppy…” but the voice just sounded exasperated and fond, and Skeppy almost melted. It was so similar to the slightly unsettling ringing from before, the pitch matching but sharp edges dulled down with distinctly human softness. 

Skeppy suddenly sobered, “How are you even human? H-How did you get here? How did you find me? ” He may have slacked on getting explanations last time, but he wasn’t planning on making the same mistake again. He wanted to understand what was going on, why things were happening for once.

“Very carefully,” the angel nodded sagely as if they were giving wise advice. There was a beat of silence as Skeppy tried to comprehend what was just said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Bro, w-what? How is that even close to an answer? You’re literally making my brain hurt.” 

“Oh, _I’m_ making your brain hurt? How much water have you drinken today, mister?” 

“That’s none of your bu- Wait, drinken? Did you say drinken?” 

“Uh, yeah! That’s what you’re supposed to say! You say eaten, so you also say drinken!”

“No, you say drunk, what do you mean drinken!?”

“Oh, _sure,_ so you also say that you’ve, what, ea-unt something?” 

“Ea-unt!?” Skeppy burst into hysterical laughter, burying his face into a forearm. 

“Yeah- See? That just proves I’m right!” the angel huffed, dropping from their kneeling position, sitting on the floor in front of Skeppy. 

“That doesn’t prove anything! They’re two different words!” Skeppy hiccuped. 

“They’re correlated, though! They’re, like, sibling words! They go by the same rules! It’s drinken!” 

“Dude. I’m, like, the stupidest person alive and I still know that it’s _drunk!”_

“Actually, it’d be that you are the most stupid, ‘stupidest’ isn’t a word.” 

_“Bro, are you seriously going to call me out for stupidest when you just tried to say drinken is a word!?”_ Skeppy howled, slamming his fist into the wall. 

_“Drinken is a word!”_

“No- no- I’m not doing this, we’re gonna Google this, and you’re gonna see that _drinken! isn’t! a word!”_

“I don’t know what a ‘Goo-gel’ is, but if it’s going to prove to you that drinken is a word, then by all means-” 

Skeppy pulled out his phone, the battery currently at 1%. Honestly, he’s surprised it lasted this long. Looks like he’ll have to speedrun this.

Quickly typing “drinken” into Google, he skimmed the results quickly before shoving the phone into the angel’s face, reciting loudly, “See, ‘an overregularization based on’ whatever! It’s not a word!” 

The angel’s eyes widened before they tilted their head and squinted, adjusting their glasses as they tried to read the small text off the bright screen. 

“...No, this clearly says that drinken is a word! You don’t even know what ‘overregularization’ means-”

“ _No it doesn’t!_ _You_ don’t know what overregularhanyahah means!”

 _“I_ know what it means, you couldn’t give me the definition even if you tried!” 

“YES I COULD! It means… when you overly regularize.” 

“...That was a lucky guess. Besides, that just means that people say drinken a lot because it’s _right.”_

_“NO IT’S NOT!!!”_

“Oh really? Where on this ‘Goo-gel’ does it say that drinken isn’t a word?” 

_“RIGHT HERE-”_ When Skeppy turned the phone back to him, he was met with a black screen with a faint outline of an empty battery in the middle. Goddamnit. 

“It’s dead.” 

“What!? Something died!?” The angel lunged, terrified, “Is that it? Can we save it? D-” the angel paled, “Did I kill it? Oh my goodness, I didn’t mean to-” They brought their hands to their face, dripping with genuine distress. Guilt shot through Skeppy at the sight. 

“No- dude, it’s an object! It’s, like, an expression or whatever- you’re fine, you’re fine, it’s not dead!” 

The angel sniffed, peeking from behind their fingers, “Really?” 

Skeppy’s shoulders slacked with relief, “Yeah dude, it’s good. You can, like, charge it and everything, it’ll come back. Sorry if I freaked you out, I didn’t realize…” 

“No! No… that’s on me. I’ve been kinda slacking on keeping up with culture and language down here, things are… really alien. That was an expression, right? I’m sorry, I was panicked, that’s never the correct mindset to be in, especially when there is new information being presented to you. I’ll be more studious next time, it won’t happen again!” The angel seemed to be renewed with this promise, a determined expression set on their face. 

“Jeez, dude, it was just a mistake, you don’t need to be so serious about it… If all of this is as new as you say it is, it most likely will happen again,” the angel’s face fell _“But,_ that’s not the end of the world, y’know, you’re learning. Mistakes’ll just, like, make you stronger or whatever…” There was a brief pause before the angel’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“Dangit, Skeppy…” The angel sighed, eyes slipping shut as they climbed off the floor, holding their hand out to him, pulling him to a standing position, leaving the bottles he was holding on the floor. Skeppy wobbled slightly, head spinning from the sudden movement. It was strange, having the angel touch him. It was so dissimilar to their previous incorporeal body and yet the warmth was almost matched.

“I’m supposed to be the one guiding you, you know? You shouldn’t have to be advising me like this…” They placed their hands on his shoulders again, straightening him out as his vision cleared. 

“You’re doing just fine… No reason this can’t be a mutually, um… mutually beneficial relationship.” 

They chuckled humorlessly, “It doesn’t work like that. You know I live to serve y- whatever. Let’s just get you some water, alright?” They grabbed him by the arm, leading him back to the kitchen. 

Filling a plastic cup with tap water, the angel looks at him apologetically. “There aren’t any pitchers, so I guess this will have to do. They only have… other drinks. Bad stuff. Stuff that you should not have been drinking, mister!” 

The angel hands him the cup, which he sips a few times, wincing at the underlying taste of copper. 

“Blehh…” his tongue lolls out as if airing out the flavor, “so gross.” 

“You can drink- uh, _that stuff_ but not handle some water? Come on Skeppy, it’ll do you good.” 

“Geez, it seems like all you do is tell me to drink water all the time… Are all angels like this, or is it just you?”

“Ay, hydration is very important! We’re getting the easy stuff done first, alright?”

They pat his back a few times, seemingly unable to know when to stop. 

After gulping down the rest of the water and setting the cup down with a grimace, he finds himself meeting the angel’s gaze. Oh god. What has he done? The angel is still patting his back and now they are making direct eye contact. This is the most awkward moment of his life. This is Hell. His life is over. The angel looks just as much in pain as he is, but they both know there’s no going back from this. The moment the patting stops is the moment the total pat time can be registered, they were screwed after the sixth pat. Schrödinger's pat, the pats are simultaneously there and not, it can only be truly quantified when- what would the box be in this scenario? Who knows, Skeppy only went to philosophy for that one lecture. He swears his shoulder blade is going to go numb soon.

“Zak! What kinda weird mating ritual is that?” Oh, thank God. They turned to the voice, the metaphysical box opened. The cat was totally gross and dead. Holy shit, that sucked so hard. 

“Vurb, oh my God, I never thought I’d say this, but it’s great to see you.” The angel behind him whispered a soft ‘language’ as Vurb chuckled, a bit tipsy. Never a good thing for him to be.

“First of all, rude. You’re always happy to see me. Uh, two, who’s this? Zakky got himself a new friend?” Skeppy rolled his eyes at the nickname.

“Oh, this is-” 

Fuck. He never asked the angel for their goddamn name. Goddamnit. He turned to them, bobbing his head to Vurb a bit frantically. They tilted their head in confusion, before finally seeming to understand after a long few seconds. 

“Ah! I’m Bad! Not, like, _bad_ but, like, Bad. Y’know?” 

Vurb laughed, “You mean Bad’s your name?” Bad nodded gratefully,“Yeah!” 

The long-haired man grinned, clapping Skeppy on the shoulder (he tried not to have flashbacks), pulling him close before ruffling his hair.

“I like you, Bad. Seem like a nice guy. Tell me if Skeppy’s too mean to you, alright? He can text you my number later. You know it’s his birthday, right? Be sure to give him a good present,” Vurb winked, “Should take him home pretty soon, he’s a lazy drunk, never can do it himself. He has roommates, though, and, y’know, he’s _super_ talkative so it might be better to go to your place for the night-” 

“Vurb. I swear to God I am going to kick your ass-” 

“ _Language,_ Skeppy! Don’t be rude! And thank you, kind sir, I’ll be sure to do that!” Bad beamed, eyes closed and hands clasped together, looking like every weird mosaic of an angel Skeppy’s seen, even while so human. 

Vurb nudged him and smirked, mouthing ‘you’re welcome.’ At this moment, Skeppy began to understand Mega’s ideology, he hated everyone and wanted to kick Vurb’s dumb ass so very badly. Skeppy flipped him off. 

“Hehe, well, I should probably leave you to it! Nice score, Zak! Hope to see you again someday, Bad!” With one last thumbs up, Vurb slunk out of the kitchen, giggling. Skeppy never should have told him he was bi. 

Silence clung to the air after Vurb’s absence, something Skeppy was never good with. 

“So-” They both started at the same time. Skeppy chuckled at Bad’s frantic apologies. 

“Nah dude, I don’t even know what I was gonna say, you go,” Skeppy said, finally silencing the other. 

“Oh, well, I was just wondering if we should bring you to your home now… It’s very late and we have things to do tomorrow,” 

“Uh, sure, that’s fine. What do you mean, ‘things to do tomorrow?’” Skeppy moved to leave the kitchen, walking a lot more steady than last time with Bad trailing him as he maneuvered through the groups of people in the den.

“Everyone has things to do every day, why? Do you just sit around all day and do nothing? ...Actually, don’t answer that. Yes, I am making sure we do something at least a little productive, forgive me.” The angel briefly reminded him of a nagging mother, their voice raised above the clamor of the party. 

Skeppy didn’t like the sound of productivity, but he admitted his heart lightened at the use of ‘we.’ At least he didn’t have to do it alone… 

“So… Bad? That’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? Why would an angel be called Bad?”

“Oh, well, that’s not actually my real name, but everyone calls me that. ‘Cause I’m a bad boy.” 

“...Wait. Y-You’re a _what?”_ Skeppy roared, hand shooting up to cover his wide smile. 

“Why are you laughing? It’s not funny, it’s true,” Bad huffed, crossing his arms, looking anywhere but at the man beside him.

“Dude! How pure are angels that _you_ would ever be considered even _close_ to a bad boy? This is a house party and you’re dressed to go to a wedding or something!” 

The angel glanced over his clothes again, a white button-up under a beige sweater, khakis, and brown loafers. “This is what people wear, right? I saw humans wearing this!” 

“Where were you looking, an old folk's home? No young person dresses like that unless they’re a nerd! Or… a good boy.” 

Bad let out an offended gasp, “You take that back!” 

“I’m not gonna take it back if I wasn’t lying! You’re such a good boy!” 

“I’m _not_ a good boy! I’m hardcore!” 

“You’re- You’re _hardcore! Really!?”_

“Yes! Oh my goodness- whatever, Arran was right, you are being too mean to me, I should tell him!” 

“Arran? Wait- you mean Vurb? How’d you know his name was Arran?” 

“Oh, I- um, asked around in heaven, and I met his guardian angel. A lot of your other friends, too, I just, uh, wanted to know what they thought about you…” the angel’s previously energetic demeanor dissipated and he carded his fingers through his hair self-consciously. Skeppy decided not to press it for Bad’s own sake, though his stomach fluttered at the thought of the angel doing that, out of necessity or not.

He pushed out the door, the chill air a shock and relief, he always forgot how gross and stuffy it was in the house until he left. He could see Bad beside him relax instantly, apparently valuing the fresh air just as much as Skeppy, if not more. 

He remembered what Bad said earlier about everything seeming alien, things must have been so strange for him, probably even scary. Skeppy remembers his first party in middle school, flinching at the glares seniors would throw him and coughing at the smoke blown in his face. Again he felt guilt shoot through him. He made Bad go through that for him. Skeppy’s gaze dropped down his shoes as they strode across the lawn to the sidewalk just outside the fence, leaving the loud music and shouting voices behind.

“Hey, are you okay?” The angel’s voice was hushed. Skeppy glanced up, meeting his wide eyes. They looked like a pale bluish-green, a dark ring encircling the edge, his pale cheeks were growing pink in the late-night cold, a bit of fog was slipping past his lips with each breath. He wondered if Bad breathed in his angel form… Skeppy averted his gaze again, focusing on a lamppost in the distance behind the angel's shoulder.

“‘m sorry…” 

Bad’s head tilted, “About what?” Skeppy didn’t know what to say, how to explain. He didn’t respond.

Being met with silence, Bad cupped Skeppy’s cheek, angling his face towards him. How was his hand that warm? It had to be some weird angel magic, like the eyeballs from earlier. He felt his face flush enough to match it. Maybe that was a part of his angel powers as well. 

“I don't know what you’re apologizing for… but I forgive you, okay? Believe me when I say that. It’ll be alright, Sgeppy, you’re going to be okay.” 

A smile threatened to pull at his lips at the slight mispronunciation of his nickname, and he found himself almost believing what the angel was saying. He had to restrain himself from nestling further into the angel’s hand, rather turning away gently. 

They couldn’t stay like that forever, he didn’t want a repeat of the Schrödinger's pat incident, even if being like that for a while wasn’t something Skeppy would necessarily _dislike.._. His cheek instantly turned ice cold at the absence. He tried to place his own hand over the spot to regain the feeling, instead being met with even colder fingers. 

“Thanks… It wasn’t that big of a deal anyway.” 

Bad’s eyes softened and he gave him a small grin, “Of course, I’m always happy to help… Now, how exactly are we going to be going to your apartment?” 

“I’ll just call us an Uber or something…” Skeppy pulled out the phone from his pocket, being met again with the drained battery symbol. “Uh oh.” 

“Uh oh?” 

Skeppy nodded, “Uh oh. Spaghettio.” 

Looks like they’ll be walking home tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bad's back!!!!! it feels weird finally using he/him pronouns after using they/them for so long (big s doesnt assume gender) anyway i really like writing dialogue between the two i think thats obvious (im so sorry for the drinken and schrodingers pat thing, i had no idea where those came from) i think the next chapter will be much easier to write, so you shouldnt have to wait as long, but idk i dont wanna jinx myself and take 2 months or something. ily all pls tell me if this chapters worse idk how good i am at dialogue and there is a LOT of it u_u (aaaa idk if i wanna post this frick it yolo here we go)


	5. IcyHot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did a chapter in a week pog! i did the thing again where i thought i was going to have a chapter where all these things happen but then i barely get anywhere in 2k words so i give up and post it. NEXT time itll be good i sWear. also, sorry i havent really been responding to comments lately, i keep forgetting to check for them. every single one makes me really happy, i appreciate all of ur kind words so much!!

“You do know how to get to your apartment… right?” 

“Pft, dude, I’ve lived here for, like, 9 months. Of course I might probably maybe know where my own house is.” 

Skeppy and Bad were walking steadily down the sidewalk. Skeppy knew which way led them off campus, but as for everything else… 

“Oh my goodness, you don’t know how to get your apartment.” 

“Okay,  _ maybe-  _ wait, so then how did  _ you _ actually get here? You never gave me a real answer.”

_ “Hmmm. _ Well. That’s a little complicated…” The angel let out a long, exaggerated sigh, rubbing at his chin as if deep in thought, “So, do you think we’d be able to catch a bus at this time of night?” 

“Stop avoiding the question! What’s wrong, did you have to perform, like, a blood sacrifice or something to find me? ‘Cause I won’t judge, dude, you gotta do whatcha gotta do-” 

“Skeppy why would you even say that!? Of course I wouldn’t perform a- No, nevermind, I’m not gonna tell you now.” 

“Wh- Bad! You can’t do that! It was a joke! C’mon, just tell me, it’s probably not as bad as you’re making it out to be-” 

The angel crossed his arms and turned away, though Skeppy swore he saw a slight smirk on his face, “Nope. Not telling.” 

“Fine, I’ll just annoy you until you tell me~” 

“Seriously, Skeppy? I’m an angel, and a guardian one at that. I’m  _ designed _ to deal with humans. I’ve been trained for centuries-” 

“Waaaaaaaaa-” 

“I said, I’ve been trained for centuries in th-” 

“Waaaaaaaaaaaa!” 

“Stop interrupting! I’ve been trained for cent-” 

_ “Waaaaaaaaaaaaa! I want to knoooooow!”  _

_ “Agh, stop it! _ I’m saying that won’t work-” 

_ “Whyyyyyyyy wooooon’t you telllllll meeeeeeeee?”  _

“This isn’t going to work because-” 

_ “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-”  _

_ “Skeppy!  _ Stop it oh my _ GOODNESS!”  _ Bad growled, smokey air wisping from his hard-set jaw. His fists were clenched in a tight ball, glare creasing a line between his eyebrows. Skeppy’s glad that assaulting the human you’re supposed to be a guardian of was probably against angel rules. Bad looks to be close to cracking, though, most of his friends throw in the towel by now. 

_ “Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad I jus’ wanna knooooooooooow-”  _

_ “AGH, FINE!  _ I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you, okay? Just stop!” Bingo. Secured yet another fat W. 

“Yay!” 

“It’s not because of that, for the record. I’m just doing it out of kindness, you didn’t actually annoy me-”

“I didn’t? Waaaaaaaa-” 

“Do not even start, mister! I’m telling you either right now or never, so listen up!” Bad stuck his finger in his face as if reprimanding a dog. Between the angel’s stern tone and his own curiosity, Skeppy decided to actually hold his tongue for the time being.

After waiting a few seconds, as if to confirm that Skeppy wasn’t going to interrupt him, he sighed and began.

“Well, it’s not that interesting, more just complicated, so don’t complain if it’s not that exciting. I knew you were at that bar for your birthday, so I came directly therefrom heaven, but you were gone. So after a bit of investigative work, I found someone that saw you leave with someone they recognized and pointed me this way. Honestly, I’m surprised she was telling the truth, being as… intoxicated as she was. I was in a bit of a rush to get here and may or may not have used just a bit of my powers, so I don’t know the way.” 

“Your powers? So you can, like, teleport or something?” 

“No, I can’t  _ teleport.  _ Don’t be ridiculous, Skeppy. I’m not going to get into explaining all of my powers right now, we need to find a way to your home, you’re going to catch a cold out here, it’s nearly freezing!” Skeppy shivered a bit with the observation, he  _ was  _ kinda cold… 

Nose beginning to run, he moved to wipe away the snot with his sleeve when the angel’s sudden screech stopped him. 

_ “Skeppy!  _ You’re going to get your sweater gross! Use a tissue, you mor- uh. You m… muffin.” 

“Did you really call me a muffin? Plus, who just carries around tissues?”

“I do!” Bad pulled out a small package of napkins from the pocket of his pants, pulling one out of the plastic casing and passing it to Skeppy, who rubbed away at his nose lazily. 

“What? Is this another weird power thing? How’d you know I’d need them?” 

“Why does everything I do have to be a superpower? It’s cold out, I brought a lot of things that you might need! There’s some heat packs, some mouthwash, some matches, some mints, some bandaids, some ponchos-” The angel counted the items off on his fingers as Skeppy looked on, face a combination of respect and judgment. 

“-a flashlight, a compass, a whistle, a knife, oh yeah! How could I forget, I brought a map!”

“Wait, you did? Oh, thank God! Seriously though, did you just bring a bunch of camping materials, why would we even need 90% of that useless stuff?”

“They’re useful! See, we’ve already used two!” he dug around in the other pocket for a bit before presenting a folded and slightly-wrinkled map, opening it to reveal a large poster of geography Skeppy could barely recognize. 

“So, where are we right now?” 

“Uh, the university?” 

“No, like- whatever, that’ll work… So, we should be about right here,” he pointed at an intersection of streets near a highway, mirroring the sidewalk they were standing on at the edge of campus, cars occasionally roaring past. 

“Do you know what street you live on? I think I’ll be able to figure it out from there…” 

“Uhh… yeah I think it’s, like, something avenue.” 

“...Skeppy.  _ Half  _ the streets around here are something avenue! I’m going to need more than that!” 

“I don't know! I don’t really pay attention to that stuff! Uh, there’s a Chick-Fil-A near it?” 

“That will be helpful when we get close, but we still need to know which direction to head, okay? Are you sure there’s not  _ anything  _ else?”

“Uhh,” Skeppy tapped at his chin in thought, “...it’s on a corner, and both streets are kinda busy all the time, they might be highways?” 

“Okay, yes, I think I can work with that!” Bad pressed the map close to his eyes, scanning the small paths and names.

“Ooh! Is this it?” He pointed to a corner just north of the point he showed Skeppy earlier, luckily in a straight line. It appeared to be near the school library. 

“Oh- wait, yeah, that might actually be it. Holy shit, good job dude.” Honestly, Skeppy really wasn’t expecting the map idea to go anywhere, with his limited knowledge and the angel having to fly essentially blind, but the few landmarks the map afforded them seemed to actually line up. Thank God, too, it’d be embarrassing to have to hitchhike their first night together. That’s, like, a three-week friendship activity at  _ least.  _

“Language. You really think so? I’m not 100% sure, I guess we’ll see when we get there.” 

After a couple of blocks, Skeppy noticed his hands shaking as he reached to blow his nose again. 

“G-Geez, I hate the cold…” His teeth chattered as he pulled up his hood and tightened the strings. 

“Are you only wearing that sweater? No wonder you’re freezing! Hold on, let me just-” The angel searched around his pocket yet again, this time giving Skeppy a hand warmer, a small plastic bag advertising the companies’ name on the front. Skeppy looked at it, confused. Sure, he’s heard of these before, but that didn’t mean he knew how it worked.

“You know how to use one, right? You squeeze it and it gets warm! It’s like a, um, glow stick! There’s chemicals that combine and cause a reaction, except instead of light, its heat!” 

“I-I knew that,” Skeppy lied as he crushed the bag in his fist, feeling the liquid inside slosh around before gradually getting warmer. It felt nice on his paled hands. He pressed it to his cheek for good measure, sighing at the pleasant sensation. 

“Well, either way, I’m glad you enjoy it… Wa-  _ See!?  _ That’s  _ three _ things of mine we’ve used! Useless, my foot!” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever…The rest of me’s still cold though.” 

“Oh. Well, I’m not cold. I could try to help?” With that, Bad’s arm snaked around Skeppy’s torso, resting on his waist. Bad was right, he wasn’t cold at all, seeming to retain an almost supernatural amount of heat, considering. But Skeppy wasn’t sure the warmth that was now flushing his skin had anything to do with that. He found himself instinctively leaning closer, the shaking ceasing almost instantaneously, the feeling comforting despite being so unfamiliar. 

“Does this work for you?” The angel looked down at where Skeppy was resting his head on his shoulder, head tilting and eyebrows furrowing as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle. 

“Um. Yeah, it’s fine,” Skeppy muttered, playing coy as if he wasn’t half-cuddling the warmth of the man beside him, shutting his eyes at the feeling.

“Great. Uh, well, I think we’re getting pretty close to where the apartment should be, so start looking around, y’know, see if anything’s recognizable…” 

He glanced around from his spot perched on Bad, spotting a pizza place across the street that they often get takeout from and a towering McDonald’s sign from down the road. 

“I think this is it, dude. Let’s-” He was interrupted with a yawn, “Let’s gooooo. We did it pog.” If it wasn’t for the slow walking pace he was forced to uphold, Skeppy’s pretty sure he would’ve crashed by now. It’s been a while since he’s stayed awake for more than 12 hours, he was really pushing his limits here. 

“Pog? Whatever, it’s this one across the road, right?” Bad gestured to the tall apartment complex in front of them, and Skeppy doesn’t think he’s ever been more relieved to get back to his shitty heater. 

“Mm, yep,” he forced himself off of the angel, peering quickly down both sides of the road before bolting across the street, he wasn’t going to waste another second outside that he didn’t have to. 

“Ay, Skeppy! What are you- Wait up!” 

Ignoring the other’s cries, he pushed through the door, feeling the joyous air conditioning around him yet again. Soon enough, he felt the wind blow through the entrance behind him and Bad was once more at his side. 

“Wh- Why’d you do that, you verbose potato?!” 

“I’m really not so sure about your insults, man. And what can I say? I was just excited to get here.”

He made his way to the elevators across the sparse lobby, the only other people there being the tired-looking receptionist and someone in a hoodie picking out an energy drink from the concession stand, seeming unbothered by their sudden appearance. 

Bad stumbled at the elevator’s sudden movement upward, steadying himself on the handlebars. 

“Ah- sorry, never been on one of these before… Uh, are you sure we can’t just take the stairs? They’re much healthier, you know?” 

“Aw, are you scared of the elevator? It’s fine, if it was gonna kill someone, it probably would’ve done it already. I bet this place is, like, a million years old.”

“That doesn’t sound right… Plus, wouldn’t old age make it even more unstable?” 

“Oh. Yeah, maybe. You think if it collapses I could sue and get a bunch of money?” 

Bad now looked terrified, his fingers white from his death grip on the railing.

“Skeppy why would you say that? That’s horrible! Do you really think it might-” he squeaked, before getting cut off by a lurch that always happened in between the second and third floor. 

The angel let out a strangled yelp, and was the elevator this hot when they got on? Skeppy flipped off his hood and dropped the heat pack in his pocket, he was going to start sweating at this rate. 

“Dude, chill out. Literally. I swear, it’ll be fine, wouldn’t you be able to save yourself with your powers or something anyway?”

“Well, maybe, but I don’t know if I could save you!” 

Skeppy reached up to cover his totally-not-there smile, “Yeah, sure, just admit you have a totally-irrational fear of elevators.” 

“I do no-  _ eep!”  _ The elevator came to a shuttering stop with a clunk, Bad flinching with a temperature spike before the warmth finally subsided. Skeppy stepped out quickly, the other following close behind, crashing into his back when he stopped suddenly. 

“Plant!” 

“Plant?” 

Skeppy turned and grabbed Bad’s shoulders, face alight as if he just discovered how to calculate density. 

“Plant! By the elevator! I actually remembered! And I didn’t get all the way to the room before realizing!” 

“Uh, congratulations?” The angel seemed a little dazed as he watched Skeppy dig through the pot of the plastic plant, before presenting the key with a flourish. 

“Do you always keep your keys there? That can’t be very safe-” They round the corner to the hallway, his room near the end of the hall. 

“Nah, just for tonight ‘cause we split up. Hehe, just wait until I tell Spifey, he’s gonna be  _ so  _ surprised- Wait. What’re we gonna do about you? I don’t think I can convince them to let you live with us if you’re not gonna pay rent. Also, we’d have to share a room, the couch is a communal place that we all use equally, that can’t be taken either-” 

“That’s not gonna be a problem, Skeppy. Don’t worry, they’ll never know I’m here, I won’t be keeping a physical form for much longer.” Skeppy jiggled with the lock before finally fitting the key into the door, holding a finger over his lips before letting them into the dorm. 

“Wait, so was this, like, a one-time thing?” Skeppy tried not to notice the way his heart dropped at the prospect of never getting physical contact or seeing the angel’s face again. That wasn’t what happened at all. 

“Oh, I mean, it can be? I can’t maintain a human body all the time, but whenever it’s needed for a couple of hours, y’know, I can be there. If you want. I don’t really know when it would be necessary, I guess if you need help moving boxes? It’s a bit difficult touching things without a body, but uh, I still could? You know, I was just thinking because of your roommates that it’d be better to-” The area was picking up a bit of heat again, and Skeppy figured he should stop him before he gets over-excited.

“Yeah, no, I get it, dude. How does changing back work?” He dropped the keys by the door, not bothering to turn on the lights when heading to his room. 

“Oh, um. I don’t really know? This is kind of my first time in a body. I guess it just happens? It’s probably gonna be like switching from Heaven to Earth to a lesser degree.” 

“You know I have no clue what that means.” 

“Well good thing you don’t need to! It’s not like this’ll ever be a problem of yours!” 

“Fair enough. You switch back or whatever, if you can’t figure out how you can sleep on the bed, I don’t really care, but I’m going to sleep now.” Too tired to argue at this point, he trudged into his room and flopped onto his bed. 

“Also, can you close the door please?”

“Yes, but oh my goodness Skeppy! This is filthy! We are going to clean this up tomorrow, no wonder you’ve been feeling so under the weather, you know your environment affects how you feel as well! Your mother raised you better than this, what would she say if she saw- oh.” 

He watched Skeppy snore where he was splayed like a starfish facedown on the bed. It was endearing. 

“Aw, goodnight Skeppy… You still aren’t off the hook, though.” 

After a beat, the angel’s gaze shifted around the room, as if searching for a hidden watcher before brushing his fingers through Skeppy’s hair, shooting back up just as quickly as he came.  _ Soft…  _

He knew it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always forget what i want to say in these until like 2 days later and then i get mad that i didnt mention this one thing. im totally at a blank rn. uhhh next chapter is gonna be more explaining the lore behind everything, this time i swear maybe probably. also omg the crimson vines arc is literally slaughtering me and my whole family i cri  
> also! big thanks to seppy (or septimus) for helping beta read this!! she was such a huge help! thanks to dontrollthedice for writer solidarity and read their fics if u havent already or die tmrw  
> ily ty and gn <3<3


End file.
